During the economic crisis of the past three years, much of the conversation about responses has focused on the federal government and national-scale programs. From growing healthcare costs to shrinking government budgets, Americans are facing challenges on a scale not seen since the great Depression. While action at the federal level is imperative, some argue that the local level responses deserve more attention. With the federal government often gridlocked, it’s the leaders at the local level, at the heart of the many communities in need, who are often in the best position to be the real change agents. Here are a few examples of local governments tackling today’s challenges.

Emergency Management A recent Huffington Post article highlights several Mayors who are making real changes in their communities to directly meet their citizens’ growing needs. For example, Newark's Cory Booker, who was also featured in the Rolling Stone article “12 Leaders Who Get Things Done,” is known for his innovative and engaging initiatives. Since natural disasters happen at the local level, managers and other local leaders have long had emergency management as one of their primary responsibilities, Mayor Booker, however, took it a step further. During a snow storm, he invited citizens to post problems on Twitter, which allowed both emergency managers and citizens to be kept up-to-date in real time. Booker even personally assisted with the snow removal in some citizens’ driveways. See the topic pages for Citizen Engagement, Social Media, Innovation, Disaster Recovery, Emergency Management, and Public Safety.

Childhood Obesity In Allentown, Penn., the Parks and Recreation Department, the Health Bureau, and the School District partnered to help fight their community’s growing problem of childhood obesity. Their program includes a truck that delivers fruits and veggies to 20 playground sites and events around the city. The Morning Call describes the food truck like an ice cream truck that hands out fresh snow peas, grapes, and apples to children throughout the summer. This initiative was given a first place national award worth $120,000 this week at the winter meeting of the US Conference of Mayors. For more ideas, see topic pages for Health, Healthy Eating, Public Health, Children and Youth, Human Services, Parks and Recreation, and Innovation.

Economic Development The city of Sarasota, Fla. developed a local stimulus program in 2010 to help spur economic diversity and growth.  When business in construction and tourism, the city’s main industries, took a huge hit, leaders came together determined to make major changes that would help their community bounce back stronger than ever.  Their approach was to extend the Local Option Sales Tax that would support economic development by funding investments in road construction, public buildings, and improvements to parks and other public lands. Through citizen engagement and partnerships with the private sector, the community was able to create jobs and build a stronger, more resilient economy. For more ideas, see topic pages for Economic Development, Economic Crisis, Community Relations, Citizen Engagement, Strategic Planning, and Innovation.

Employee Health Care Costs A recent research study from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence highlights three cities, Asheville, Denver, and Oklahoma City that have taken on the great challenge of controlling rising healthcare costs for their employees. They show that solutions to challenges in healthcare, an issue that is often heated and controversial in the national news, can often be found at the local level. Some of their successful approaches have focused on wellness programs, chronic disease management, employee clinics, cost shifting to employees, changing plan designs, and trust funds. The impact these cities have made on such a major issue shows how other local governments across the country can create successful programs that are tailored specifically to their own communities’ needs and concerns. For more ideas, see topic pages for Citizen Engagement, Human Services, Health, Public Health, and  Innovation .

These examples, and more, show that many of the nation’s most serious and complex challenges should be fought not just nationally, but at the local level, with the leaders and the citizens who know their communities best. Local governments are already stepping up with creativity and innovation to help to solve some of the nation’s most pressing issues.